Large-scale interaction effects reveal missing heritability in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder.

ABSTRACT: Genetic susceptibility factors behind psychiatric disorders typically contribute small effects individually. A possible explanation for the missing heritability is that the effects of common variants are not only polygenic but also non-additive, appearing only when interactions within large groups are taken into account. Here, we tested this hypothesis for schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BP) disease risks, and identified genetic factors shared with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). When considered independently, few single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) reached genome-wide significance. In contrast, when SNPs were selected in groups (containing up to thousands each) and the collective effects of all interactions were estimated, the association strength for SZ/BP rose dramatic

SUBMITTER: Woo HJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5416702 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature